Ox Cart Man

In nearly every stanza of “Ox Cart Man,” Hall employs lists to characterize the man and his way of life and work. The lists add to the calm, methodical approach the man takes toward his task, and establishes the tone of the poem. For instance, in the first stanza, he lists off all the counting the man does: “he counts potatoes dug from the brown field, / counting the seed, counting / the cellar’s portion out” (Lines 2-4). The following stanzas list items the man carries to market, from wool, honeycombs, and vinegar, to birch brooms, maple sugar, and goose feathers. The lists suggest bounty and hard work, illustrating the sheer amount of labor that went into creating the items. Lines like “hooped by hand at the forge’s fire” (Line 10) detail the craft and skill the man used, and suggest that each item is well-made and valuable, even if it is simple.

Hall creates rich sound texture throughout “Ox Cart Man,” relying heavily on assonance, or repeated vowel sounds, and consonance, or repeated consonant sounds, to draw attention to his